Derelict buildings Darvel named as number one problem

For all the pride Darvel residents take in their town, one issue stood out above all others when they were asked what needed fixing: empty, decaying buildings on the Main Street.
In the Community Views Survey behind the Darvel Community Action Plan 2014–2019, 43% of respondents said the town felt declined and run down – by far the most common complaint. When nearly 300 people gathered at the Community Futures Event to rank priorities, tackling derelict buildings came out on top.
Two buildings were singled out by name. The former Cooperative building, which once housed the town's Co-op store, had been left empty after the shop closed, and residents said its loss was felt twice over – once for the store itself and again for the empty building it left behind. The Turf Hotel was the other. Residents also raised concerns about the condition of some council-owned properties on the Main Street.
The comments were pointed. People described these buildings as eyesores. One resident argued that listed buildings should be put to use rather than left to sit empty. Others noted that unoccupied shops, factories and houses were the first thing passers-by saw of Darvel.
But the plan did not treat the buildings purely as a problem. The consultation suggested there was real potential to do something creative with the Cooperative building or its site, in a way that would add to the village. Other ideas floated elsewhere in the plan included using a derelict building as a community-run arts and music centre, as workspace for new small businesses, or as part of a solution to parking.
The plan set out a clear sequence of steps under its first theme, Town Centre Regeneration and Traffic:
• establish a working group to tackle Main Street regeneration
• decide on a course of action and preferred options for the buildings and sites
• engage with owners and other stakeholders
• commission a feasibility study on the best use of the buildings and sites
• act on the study's recommendations
The organisations named to lead this work were the Community Council, the Darvel Improvement Group, Darvel Music Company, East Ayrshire Council and Historic Scotland.
The plan's vision for 2020 described a nice main street, where the removal and renovation of derelict properties had made the town more appealing to everyone.
Anyone who walks along Darvel's Main Street today can judge for themselves how far that vision has been realised – and what still remains to be done.when they were asked what needed fixing: empty, decaying buildings on the Main Street.
In the Community Views Survey behind the Darvel Community Action Plan 2014–2019, 43% of respondents said the town felt declined and run down – by far the most common complaint. When nearly 300 people gathered at the Community Futures Event to rank priorities, tackling derelict buildings came out on top.
Two buildings were singled out by name. The former Cooperative building, which once housed the town's Co-op store, had been left empty after the shop closed, and residents said its loss was felt twice over – once for the store itself and again for the empty building it left behind. The Turf Hotel was the other. Residents also raised concerns about the condition of some council-owned properties on the Main Street.
The comments were pointed. People described these buildings as eyesores. One resident argued that listed buildings should be put to use rather than left to sit empty. Others noted that unoccupied shops, factories and houses were the first thing passers-by saw of Darvel.
But the plan did not treat the buildings purely as a problem. The consultation suggested there was real potential to do something creative with the Cooperative building or its site, in a way that would add to the village. Other ideas floated elsewhere in the plan included using a derelict building as a community-run arts and music centre, as workspace for new small businesses, or as part of a solution to parking.
The plan set out a clear sequence of steps under its first theme, Town Centre Regeneration and Traffic:
• establish a working group to tackle Main Street regeneration
• decide on a course of action and preferred options for the buildings and sites
• engage with owners and other stakeholders
• commission a feasibility study on the best use of the buildings and sites
• act on the study's recommendations
The organisations named to lead this work were the Community Council, the Darvel Improvement Group, Darvel Music Company, East Ayrshire Council and Historic Scotland.
The plan's vision for 2020 described a nice main street, where the removal and renovation of derelict properties had made the town more appealing to everyone.
Anyone who walks along Darvel's Main Street today can judge for themselves how far that vision has been realised – and what still remains to be done.